The man, who was
arrested in Southport, near Liverpool, is accused of gaining
unauthorized access to computer material and knowingly providing
false information to security services.

Both companies face major functionality problems after a
“major distributed denial of service” attack, also known
as a DDoS attack. The hacker collective the man allegedly belongs
to is known as ‘Lizard Squad.' It has claimed responsibility for
the attack, which took place over the Christmas period.'

“Officers...have arrested a man in Southport, Merseyside this
morning as part of an investigation into ‘swatting’ and computer
hacking offences,” Merseyside police told British media.

Police are working closely with the US Federal Bureau of
Investigation, although both units have declined to comment on
the specific details of the operation.

‘Swatting’ refers to offences in which false information is
deliberately given to police to make them believe there are
potential security threats.

Microsoft and Sony were hacked on Christmas Day, which made it
difficult for users subscribed to their services to access their
accounts. By DDoSing the companies, the hackers made it
impossible to access large servers, and caused major disruption
to the company's incoming user traffic.

The arrest comes as the UK prepares
to give security services more power to monitor and detect
potential terrorist threats on the internet, with Home Secretary
Theresa May planning to introduce new laws forcing internet
service providers (ISPs) to retain customer data for up to two
years.

However, civil liberties groups have criticized the plan,
claiming the measures are unnecessary and a worrying infringement
of individual privacy.